AN INTRODUCTION TO THE

BRAUN BLANQUET
PROCEDURE
MOB743
2011
Marthie Kemp
Centre for Environmental Management
UFS

BRAUN BLANQUET TECHNIQUE

Mueller-Dombois D, Ellenberg H (1974)

In 1928 and again in 1932, J. Braun-Blanquet (Zrich

Montpellier School of Phytosociology) first published two
books on the science of phytosociology and changed the study
of plant ecology in Europe.
Phytosociology was introduced in South Africa by Werger in
1973 and since used by many plant-ecologists.
The method is descriptive and classifying in nature.

SOME TERMINOLOGY

Relev:
A relev is a list of species observed in a quadrant together with estimates of their
abundance/dominance and cover (Janos 2006)
Cover:
Measurement of the area covered by above-ground part of a plant of a species (Bullock
1996)
Abundance:
Measurement of density (Number of grasses in a plot)
Species Composition:
Assemblage of plant species in a plot
Richness:
The number of different plant species occurring in plot

BRAUN BLANQUET TECHNIQUE

Mueller-Dombois D, Ellenberg H (1974)

ANALYTIC PHASE

SYNTHETIC PHASE

BRAUN BLANQUET TECHNIQUE

ANALYTIC PHASE
Reconnaissance of
study area
Homogenous*
Characteristic
Relev size* (Plot size)
Environmental Factors

SYNTHETIC PHASE

BRAUN BLANQUET TECHNIQUE

BRAUN BLANQUET TECHNIQUE

5m
5m

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10m
10m
5m
5m

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10m
10m

10m
10m
5m
5m

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Some of the environmental factors:
1. GPS Coordinates

2. Aspect
3. Slope
4. Exposure
5. Topography
6. % Area covered by rock / size of rocks
7. Biotic influences

BRAUN BLANQUET TECHNIQUE

Braun Blanquet Cover-abundance scale:
r

Very small cover, rare

occurrence

Cover less than 1%

Cover between 1-5%

2a

Cover between 5-12%

2b

Cover between 12-25%

Cover between 25-50%

Cover Between 50-75%

Cover more than 75%

BRAUN BLANQUET TECHNIQUE

Braun Blanquet Cover-abundance scale:
r

Very small cover, rare occurrence

Cover less than 1%

Cover between 1-5%

2a

Cover between 5-12%

2b

Cover between 12-25%

Cover between 25-50%

Cover Between 50-75%

Cover more than 75%

BRAUN BLANQUET TECHNIQUE

Braun Blanquet Cover-abundance scale:
r

1 +1
2b 2a
+
2a 5
3

2b

3
3 2b

5
2b
5

5
4

5
4

Very small cover, rare occurrence

Cover less than 1%

Cover between 1-5%

2a

Cover between 5-12%

2b

Cover between 12-25%

Cover between 25-50%

Cover Between 50-75%

Cover more than 75%

BRAUN BLANQUET TECHNIQUE

ANALYTIC PHASE
Reconnaissance of
study area
Homogenous
Characteristic
Relev size
Environmental Factors

SYNTHETIC
PHASE
TURBOVEG
(Hennekens 1996)
TWINSPAN (Hill
1979a);
JUICE (Trichy & Holt
2006)
Megatab
Decorana

BRAUN BLANQUET TECHNIQUE

DESCRIPTION OF COMMUNITIES:
Diagnostic species
Unique

Dominant species
High abundance

Associated with environmental factors

BRAUN BLANQUET TECHNIQUE

The hierarchical classification of the 53 relevs, 5 communities, 4 sub
communities and 3 variants in which Acacia karroo is dominant, are:
1. Cyperus rupestris Cynodon dactylon Community
1.1 Ledebouria luteola Digitaria eriantha Sub-community
1.2 Berkheya onopordifolia Cynodon dactylon Sub-community
2. Setaria sphacelata Acacia karroo Community
3. Diospyros lycioides Rhus pyroides Community
3.1 Salsola glabrescens Cynodon hirsutus Sub-community
3.2 Sphaeralcea bonariensis Eragrostis curvula Subcommunity
3.2.1
Setaria verticillata Variant
3.2.2
Phyla nodiflora Variant
3.2.3
Asparagus laricinus Variant
4. Eragrostis lehmanniana Acacia karroo Community
5. Eragrostis trichophora Eragrostis curvula Community

LEVELS OF CLASSIFICATION
A Temperate Grassland Biome (Global)
B Grassland Biome (SA, Lesotho & Swaziland)
C Bioregions
Gh Dry Highveld Grassland Bioregion

D Vegetation Units
Drakensberg Grassland
Dry Highveld Grassland
E Gh 7 Winburg Grassy Shrubland
E Gh 8 Bloemfontein Karroid Shrubland
Mesic Highveld Grassland
Sub-Escarpment Grassland

BRAUN BLANQUET TECHNIQUE

s
Ju

le
p
m
a
x
e
n
a
t

Community
Sub- communities

Community

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Shallow soils
on dolerite

Ju

800
750

x
e
n
st a

e
l
p
am
1 1 .1 & 1 1 .2

700
650

Soil depth

Axis 2

600
550
500

3
1 & 6 .1

450
400

8 .1

350

7.1 & 7.2

8 .2 - 1 1 .3

300
250
200

8 .1

Deep Kalahari
sands

150
100

50
0
0

50

100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800 850

Montane grassland
Pristine

Habitat
Habitat
Axis 1

Sandy plains
Disturbed

DECORANA Ordination diagram indicating the

distribution of the various grassland communities in
relation to environmental factors (Axes 1 & 2).

BIOGRAPHY

Bullock J (1996) Plants In: Sutherland WJ (Ed) (1996) Ecological census Techniques. A
Handbook. Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom
Hennekens SM (1996a) MEGATAB A visual editor for phytosociological tables. Giesen and Geurts
Hennekens SM (1996b) TURBO(VEG) Software package for input, processing and presentation of
phytosociological data. Users guide. University of Lancaster
Hill MO (1979a) TWINSPAN A FORTRAN Program for arranging multivariate data in an ordered
two-way table by classification of the individuals and attributes. Department of Ecology and
Systematics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
Hill MO (1979b) DECORANA A FORTRAN Program for detrended correspondence analysis and
reciprocal averaging. Department of Ecology and Systematics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
Janos P (2006) Braun Blanquets legacy and data analysis in vegetation science. Journal of
Vegetation Science, 17: 113 - 117
Kent M, Coker P (1992) Vegetation description and analysis: A practical approach. John Wiley
and Sons, New York, pp1 275. ISBN 0-4719-4810-1
Mucina L, Rutherford MC (2006) The vegetation of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Strelitzia
19. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria
Mueller-Dombois D, Ellenberg H (1974) Aims and methods of vegetation ecology. John Wiley
Sons, New York, pp 10 66. ISBN 0-4716-2291-5
Mller ME (2002) The phytosociology of the central Free State. M.Sc Dissertation. University of
the Free State
Tricky L, Holt J (2006) JUICE Program for management, analysis and classification of ecological
data. Program Manual. Masaryk University Brno.